


tulips and carnations

by kathkin



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 02:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathkin/pseuds/kathkin
Summary: “You havegotto stop doing this It’s a waste of money, and time, and, and frankly it’s a waste of flowers.”“I know,” said Frodo. “Iknow. But he’ssopretty, Merry. And so nice. And, when I go in we talk about flowers and today he was telling me all about the different colours you can get tulips in and what they mean –”“I’d say this is getting weird, but honestly it sailed past weird a month ago."In which Frodo has a small (small!) crush on an employee in his local flower shop and Merry is anexcellentwingman, thank you very much.
Relationships: Frodo Baggins & Merry Brandybuck, Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee
Comments: 9
Kudos: 101





	tulips and carnations

**Author's Note:**

> Wee ficlet based on [this moodboard](https://penny-anna.tumblr.com/post/178284909828/frodosam-moodboard-for-an-au-where-sam-works-in-a) I made ages ago.
> 
> Frodo & Merry are both postgrad students... Pippin is an undergrad who lives with them because of reasons.

When he came in from the library he found Frodo in the kitchen, thoughtfully arranging a bunch of tulips in a vase upon the windowsill.

“Afternoon,” he said, dropping his book bag on the sofa. “Flowers?”

“They’re nice, aren’t they?” said Frodo, not looking him in the eye. “I thought they’d brighten up the room.”

“I see,” said Merry. “You did it again. Didn’t you?”

Frodo shot him a scandalised look. “No!” he protested. “I, I just happened to take a fancy and thought it would be nice to get some flowers. That’s all.”

“Mm-hm,” said Merry.

Frodo adjusted the tulips. He plucked morosely at a red petal. Turning, he said, “Merry, it happened again.”

“You have _got_ to stop doing this.” Merry gestured at the offending tulips. “It’s a waste of money, and time, and, and frankly it’s a waste of flowers.”

“I know,” said Frodo, taking his face in his hands. “I _know_. But he’s _so_ pretty, Merry. And so nice. And, when I go in we talk about flowers and today he was telling me all about the different colours you can get tulips in and what they mean –”

“I’d say this is getting weird, but honestly it sailed past weird a month ago,” said Merry.

“It’s not weird,” Frodo said. “I like flowers. I like shopping for flowers. What’s wrong with that?”

“Aren’t you allergic to pollen?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Merry sighed. He composed himself. “Look,” he said. “I’m sure the flower shop boy appreciates your custom –”

“Sam,” Frodo interrupted. “His name’s Sam. He told me. And also it’s, on his nametag. I think it’s a lovely name. Don’t you think it’s a lovely name?”

“Oh my god,” said Merry. “You need to either ask him out or stop going in there.”

“I can’t ask him out,” said Frodo, appalled. “You can’t ask people out while they’re at work, Merry. It’s rude.”

“So stop going in there and hassling him!”

“I don’t want to,” said Frodo. “And, I’m not hassling him. Or I don’t think I’m hassling him. I _hope_ I’m not hassling him.” He shook his head. “I’m not hassling him.”

“You really only have two reasonable options here,” said Merry. “Either go in there and give him your phone number or leave him alone and, I don’t know, make a dating profile. And what were you even doing in town today? Aren’t you supposed to be working on your thesis?”

“I was,” said Frodo. “I took a break and went for a walk. To the flower shop.”

“You have a big problem,” said Merry. “You know that?”

“I have a _small_ crush,” said Frodo. “That’s all. And, and the flowers are pretty. Don’t you think they brighten up the room?”

“We’re going to start running out of surfaces to brighten up,” Merry groaned. “Look, okay. I will go in there with you and wingman. How about that?”

“I don’t need a wingman,” said Frodo. “I already told you I’m not going to ask him out while he’s at work. An even if I was I wouldn’t need your help.”

“Really?” said Merry, raising his eyebrows. “Because you are famously _so_ good at asking people out.”

“And you’re famously _such_ a good wingman,” said Frodo. “I can handle it.”

Merry threw up his hands. “Fine!”

“Fine!”

The front door slammed. Pippin stuck his head into the kitchen. His gaze fell upon the tulips and turning to Frodo he said, “ _again?_ ”

*

The shop bell dinged. “Alright,” said Frodo as they edged inside, surrounded on all sides by greenery. “We’re just going to go over there and say hello to him and then we’ll see how it goes from there.”

“Sure,” said Merry, looking around himself. “I have to hand it to you, this place is pretty nice.” He picked up a tiny purple succulent from a shelf. “Why wouldn’t you have brought some of these home instead of flowers? These are cool.”

Frodo snatched the succulent and put it back in its proper place. “Stop touching things!” he said. “Just – be normal.”

Merry stared at him. “You’re telling _me_ to be normal?”

“Shut up,” said Frodo. “Oh, shit. Okay. There he is.”

Coming out of the back room was a round-faced, fair-haired man in a green apron, his features obscured behind a large bunch of roses. He handed them to a woman at the counter and began to ring up her order.

“Huh,” said Merry. “Really?”

“What?” said Frodo. “Is there something wrong with him?”

“No – no,” Merry said. “It’s just. You like them chubby, don’t you?”

“What? No!” said Frodo. “Yes. Maybe. None of your business. Shut up.”

“You realise you just gave every possible answer to that question, right?”

“Shush,” said Frodo. “Alright, I think they’re done. Let’s go and say hello.”

They pushed past a bushy fern, towards the counter. Frodo said, “hi.”

Sam looked up from the till. At the sight of Frodo his face _shamelessly_ lit up. He was beaming as if Frodo coming into his shop was the best thing that had happened to him all day. And Merry thought, _oh_.”

“Morning,” said Sam. “You again.”

“Me again.” Frodo leaned on the counter. “This is Merry,” he said, jerking his head at him. “He’s my flatmate.”

“Hey,” said Merry. “Good to meet you.”

“G’morning.” Sam’s gaze went warmly and inexorably back to Frodo. “You’re back soon.”

“Hm?” Frodo was leaning on one elbow, staring at Sam and evidently lost in his eyes. They were, Merry had to concede, very big and brown.

“You were just in yesterday,” Sam reminded him.

“So I was,” said Frodo. “Tulips.” Merry nudged him. “I, um. I just wanted to come back in because I wanted to talk to you, about.” He breathed out. He breathed in. He nodded at Merry. “It’s Merry’s gran’s birthday,” he said, his voice going a touch high and stilted.

“Oh my god,” said Merry to himself.

“And he was wanting to get her some flowers,” Frodo went on, “so I told him you were the person to talk to. So. Here we are.”

“Aye,” said Sam, nodding. “We do birthdays. What sort of flowers were you wanting?”

Merry looked at Frodo and considered calling him on his bullshit. He elected to show him some clemency. “What would you recommend?”

“Well,” said Sam, “what does she like?”

“I dunno,” said Merry. “Look, I’ll level with you. I’m a terrible, lazy grandson and I’d really appreciate it if you could just pick something. Preferably something inexpensive.”

Sam smacked his lips. “We have some carnations that are quite nice,” he said. “She might like those.”

“Sure,” said Merry. “I’m easy.”

“I’ll go get some,” said Sam. “Then you can decide.”

He went off into the shop. Merry shot Frodo a look as if to say _what the fuck are you doing_. Frodo shot him a pleading look in return as if to say _fuck off, I panicked_.

Aloud, Merry said, “what are carnations again?”

“Oh, you know,” said Frodo. “They’re the small ones.”

“The _small_ ones?”

Coming back around the counter, Sam set down the flowers. “”How about these?”

“Ohh,” said Merry. “Those are carnations. Okay. Yeah, they’re fine.”

“What sort of paper do you want?” said Sam.

“Do you have any recommendations?”

“No,” said Sam flatly. “Do you want me to show you some?”

“Sure,” said Merry.

As he fetched out some paper, Merry silently reflected on the fact that he didn’t even have any grandmothers. “Yeah, I don’t know,” he said. “Frodo, what do you think she’d like?”

“The baby blue,” said Frodo, not skipping a beat.

“Cool, let’s go with that,” said Merry.

Sam began to wrap the bouquet. He kept sneaking little looks at Frodo as he did so, glancing at him under his eyelashes as if he couldn’t bear to take his eyes off him for more than a few seconds. Merry watched him. He considered the situation.

He said, “my friend thinks you’re cute.”

“Merry!” said Frodo.

Sam’s hands stilled on the tape dispenser. “Oh?”

“He wants to ask you out, but he’s too shy,” said Merry. Sam ducked his head, blushing a flustered pink.

“No,” said Frodo. “That’s not – not that I don’t think you’re cute, I just wasn’t going to – I’m not shy.”

Merry roundly ignored him. “Would it be alright if he gave you his phone number?”

“Aye,” said Sam. “That’d be alright.” He looked to Frodo, smiling a fond half-smile that dimpled one of his cheeks.

Frodo glanced at Merry, at a loss for how to respond to what was happening to him. Then turning to Sam, he said, “can I take you to dinner some time?”

“I’d like that,” said Sam, still smiling.

“Alright,” said Frodo.

“Alright,” said Sam. He set the finished bouquet on the counter. “I’m still gonna need someone to pay for this.”

Merry looked to Frodo. Frodo met his eye and said, “it’s your grandmother.”

“Oh, for –” They would have _words_ about this later, Merry decided. He reached for his wallet. “Fine.”

“Why did you do that to me?” said Frodo on the pavement outside the shop.

“Got you a date, didn’t I?” said Merry. “Why’d you say it was my grandmother’s birthday?”

“It just came out,” said Frodo. “I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not.” Merry nodded at the carnations. “Do you want these?”

“Kind of,” said Frodo. “Yeah.”

Merry thrust them at him. “You can pay me back.”

*

He shouldered his way through the front door, his arms wrapped around a stack of library books. “Hey,” he called. “Anyone in?” There was a light on in the kitchen. He put his head around the door, and – “ah.”

On the sofa Frodo and Sam sprang apart, flustered and tousled. Sam tugged a cushion into his lap, blushing fiercely. “Merry!” said Frodo. “You’re home.”

“Yeah,” Merry agreed. He gestured vaguely at the front door with his keys. “Actually, I think I’m going to go back to the library.”

“You don’t have to leave,” said Frodo. “We can go somewhere else –”

“No no, it’s cool,” said Merry. “I study better there. I just came to drop these off.” He hefted his books. “You kids have fun. Good night.”

“Night,” said Sam, awkwardly waving.

He shut the door softly behind himself, and sighing thumped his library books down on the hall table.

On his way down the stairs, he texted Pippin. _Looks like Frodo’s date went well. They’re making out on our sofa._

_Cool_ , Pippin texted a moment lately. _So drinks?_


End file.
